Triumph at the Canadian Robotics Competition

The energy at the team kiosk is electric. Minutes before a heat, our robotics students work with precision to tighten a drive motor bolt and push a critical code update. Once the machine is cleared for action, the team carries it to the stage, where months of preparation meets the reality of competition.

This high-stakes environment, is the heart of the Canadian Robotics Competition (CRC), and for the Robotics Co-Curricular Activity (CCA) team members at St. George’s School of Montreal, it is where students transform into professional-level engineers.

Founded in 2002 by a coalition of passionate educators and run by dedicated volunteers, the CRC challenges schools to do more than just build a machine; teams must design, construct, and present a fully functional robot from the ground up.

This year, that dedication culminated in a historic performance for St. George’s School of Montreal. Competing in the “Mø-Duel 2026” against approximately 30 schools, many of which were CEGEPs and technical colleges, St. George’s was the only high school to earn its way into the finals, securing an impressive sweep of podium finishes in Division 2:

* 2nd Place — Kiosk
* 2nd Place — Website Content
* 3rd Place — Robot Design
* 3rd Place — Programming

Learning Through Doing

The Robotics Program at St. George’s embodies the School’s philosophy of “learning by doing.” In our fully-equipped labs, students engage in a blend of mechanical, electrical, and computer science disciplines. Because no single participant is an expert in every field, the program necessitates a culture of radical collaboration.

“Robotics is a hands-on program where students design, assemble and program machines capable of completing complex tasks. By working together, our students bridge gaps in their knowledge and manage to get somewhere truly fulfilling.”

— Dan Freder, Robotics Lead Facilitator

A Multi-Generational Community

The program’s success is rooted in its unique community structure. Since its beginnings in the early 2000s, the club has thrived on a “hiring back” model. Today, the staff consists of dedicated alums who have pursued professional careers in engineering and industrial design and who return year after year to mentor the next generation of robotic enthusiasts.

Mentorship isn’t necessarily top-down either. In the shop, leadership is merit-based rather than age-exclusive. It’s common to see a Grade 11 student learning a new coding trick from a talented Grade 8 student, or a senior student teaching a junior peer how to operate a manual lathe safely.

“Even at the competition, we see each other as a group of friends working on this crazy project together. It feels like a community where everyone is respectful, even though we all want to win.”

— Jaden M. ’26

Resilience Under Pressure

While the technical skills are impressive, it’s the resilience of the students that truly defines the program. Participation in the CRC requires months of “blood, sweat, and tears.” The team spent long hours, including weekends that stretched until the wee hours of the morning, to refine every bolt and line of code.

One of the most impressive feats at Mø-Duel 2026 was the team’s 2nd-place finish for Kiosk. While larger schools often have dedicated space to build massive structures over several months, St. George’s students saw space constraints as a catalyst for creativity. They engineered a 10×10 competition kiosk in modular pieces that could be easily transported, assembled, and disassembled. This innovative approach extended to the team’s choice of materials, such as repurposed recycled election posters, which they carefully scored and folded into intricate, functional dice blocks.

A Springboard to the Future

For many students, Robotics is the spark that ignites a career path. Jaden M., a Grade 11 student who has been with the program since Grade 7, credits the CCA with helping him discover his passion for product design. Jaden plans to pursue studies in Industrial Design at the post-secondary level, where he hopes to continue blending technical engineering with creative problem-solving.

Standing shoulder-to-shoulder with post-secondary institutions, our students’ 3rd Place in Robot Design and 3rd Place in Programming underscore the high level of technical proficiency they achieve. Guided by facilitators who are active professionals in their fields, students learn not just how to build, but how to think like engineers. Says Freder, “Watching students discover their inner handy-person and take pride in their completed projects is one of the most rewarding experiences.”

Whether they go on to study software engineering or the humanities, Robotics alumni leave St. George’s with more than just technical skill. They carry with them the resilience to handle high-stakes environments, the communication skills to lead a diverse team, and the confidence to innovate in the face of any challenge.